Dear Mr. Howard Ruben,

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1 Mr. Howard Ruben ( Howard.Ruben@usace.army.mil) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District Planning Division-Environmental Branch 26 Federal Plaza New York, New York Dear Mr. Howard Ruben, The Deal Lake Commission has major concerns on ACOE plans for the Elberon to Loch Arbour Beach Replenishment project slated for bidding in June 2014 and completion in We see the Project costs at $134,638,000 and understand for the next 32 years a nourishment cycle for the Elberon to Loch Arbour Reach would cost $17,124,000 every 6 years. The Deal Lake communities are fearful of massive flooding of Deal Lake and the environmental damage caused by this massive replenishment proposal. Hopefully, we can work together so all of lake residents and communities live less fearful of flooding and environmental damage caused by this replenishment. The Deal Lake Commission was created by the seven Monmouth County, NJ, towns that surround Deal Lake. The Commission was chartered in 1974 by the Borough of Allenhurst, City of Asbury Park, Borough of Deal, Borough of Interlaken, Village of Loch Arbour, Neptune Township, and Ocean Township. Today, the Commission oversees the vitality, on-going maintenance, Flume operations, and restoration to preserve Deal Lake for future generations. With a total surface area of approximately 155 acres and a watershed encompassing 4,400 acres, Deal Lake is New Jersey s largest coastal lake and New Jersey s 7th largest lake. I m a lifelong Jersey shore guy who lives on the Deal Lake, swam, surfed, sailed, fished and enjoyed the 3.5 miles of Jersey shore line you plan on helping us protect.

2 Our concerns are as follow: Flume Blockage; Flooding: A Free flowing flume provides us the ability to lower the lake prior and during storms. If we cannot lower the lake prior to major storms thousands of residents and many businesses within 7 communities will be flooded. In addition, two major sewer plants are at risk. A pumping station handling 1/3 of Ocean Township s sewer authority s volume and 100% of the Asbury Park Sewer plant would also be flooded. Just last week we saw our flume again under attack by sand from the adjacent Asbury Park ACOE replenishment project. The out fall pipe half clogged and replenishment sand piled 5 feet high over our flume vent pipes. Unacceptable! Photos below: Historic lake side homes: Flooded before but could be lost forever with no ability to lower the lake.

3 Flume Blockage and sand build up on Fish migration: A Free flowing flume directly into the Atlantic Ocean provides a safe conduit for migrating blueback herring and alewife, which return to the lake from the ocean to spawn each year. These migrations are a large part of the Jersey Shore sports fishing industry and recreation. The photo below shows that these migrations are again compromised as they were in Long shallow channels to the sea do not offer protection for the migratory fish and many are lost to feasting fowl. Total blockage of the flume would be a devastating effect on the local fishing industry. Notching of Groins: The DLC is 100% against any Groin Notching. In the early 1990s a storm notch the 8 th Ave jetty which in weeks lead to a dramatic loss of sand in the Loch Arbor / Allenhurst section. When the Notch/Break was repaired, the beaches rebuilt naturally soon after. Our major concern for Deal Lake is the notching of the Cedar Ave Groin. This notching will most likely change the sand and water flow which could dramatically affect natural aquatic life and our DEAL LAKE fish migration and exposes Allenhurst Beach Club(ABC) to direct wave action. ABC will actually be less storm resilient. The opposite affect your projects goal. Why experiment? The Cedar Ave Groin has been in this basic configuration for well over 100 years. Did we not already experiment in Asbury Park and Belmar with groin notching with deadly results? Ask many long time ocean swimmers in our Jersey shore or ask any ocean life guard and you will hear stories of major increases in rip tides and drowning since the groins have been notched. Dramatic shoreline erosion can be found around each and every Notched groin in Asbury and Belmar soon after beach replenishment. Seems like a waste. Groins save lives and protects the shore line on the jersey shore. We have seen NO studies to date that disputes this fact that we see day in and day out. Let s try something new. We propose you Fix the groins that are damaged and study those affects.

4 Deja vous: The Deal Lake Flume and 8 th Ave Groin was rebuilt by our NJDEP in 2006 at a cost of $6,725,000 (see attached) to alleviate sand clogging issues cause by the last Asbury park to Shark river replenishment project. Can planning this time be better? So far the public is not impressed, but the DLC, the fishing and surfing communities and local governments are all willing to help with your planning. We live the shore and can help make it more stormresilient, which we hope is the main goal. Some ideas to discuss: The Current Flume Blockage: We need immediate clearing of the sand around the flume pipe. The clearing should be at least 7 below the top of the flume pipe in an area 100 west, 30 north and as far east as possible. Bi-monthly checks should be accomplished to ensure the flume pipe has at least 3 clearance, and the channel therefrom is clear, with at least a 3 deep and 5 wide channel available for migrating fish. If these depths are not met, proper equipment should be brought in to clear to our specified depth within 48 hours. Please remove all sand from atop of the 8 th Ave groin, which currently has its vents pipes covered. Avoidance of Flume Blockage on the new project: Based on the sand pile on the Asbury side and review of your current plans it looks like a dramatic filling of sand in the Loch Arbour - Allenhurst section will lead to further flume blockage. Request the ACOE relook the volume of sand proposed and the profiles/heights for replenishment. You must ensure the flume is not at risk and if it is, the flume should redesign and extended along with the jetty prior to any replenishment. This project should not do greater harm to us than the storms. It is not the ocean that will damage the most in the Deal Lake Region, it s flooding from Deal Lake. Making the Lake less likely to flood (more resilient) is most cost affected solution to all the residents. Notching of Groins: No Groins should be notched. Let us show the world that groins actual work to hold our sand by maintaining the ones we have and maybe even adding a few new ones. Here are a few ideas for the savings from maintaining the groins: o Build Rock/stone filled berms (Dune like. But filled with rocks) around Deal Lake from the Sewer plant area to Kassin beach to hold back surf and reduce blowing sands from entering the lake. Parking lot can be raised to create this buffer. o More snow/sand fences and natural plantings can be added to lessen sand intrusion into the lake. o New storm sewers that will catch sand before washing to the lake and then can be return. o Automated Emergency flume closure to stop in coming surges during severe storm events that can self open once the surge is over.

5 o Automated sluice gates. o Dredge Deal Lake fully so we can ensure maximum holding capacity during storms o Fix all upstream holding lakes so they can act as full storm water management tools to prevent flooding. o Escrow funds (substantial) with the NJ DEP for emergency clearing of the Deal Lake Flume to maintain it free flowing for storm preparation and maintaining fish migration. We are working closely with our Local Congressman, Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. His letter of support is attached. Storm resiliency of the Deal Lake and its ecosystem is our main goal, but being Jersey folks our other stake holders want to retain Groins and protect the Jersey shore we all love. Hopefully we can work together to make our small piece of NJ a better and stronger place we call Jetty Country. Don Brockel, Chairman; 24 March 2014 Deal Lake Commission brockel@optonline.net cc. Jenifer Thalhauser, Project Manager (Jenifer.E.Thalhauser@usace.army.mil) Donald Cresitello, Engineer (Donald.e.cresitello@usace.army.mil) Congressman Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr.